Terminal apparatus and display control method

ABSTRACT

A terminal apparatus includes a display, a display control unit configured to display a screen on the display in a given display mode, a first selection operation detection unit configured to detect that a first selection operation concerning the given display mode has been performed in a given area of the screen, and a second selection operation detection unit configured to detect that a second selection operation concerning given processing has been performed in the given area of the screen. The display control unit displays a screen by changing to a second display mode based on detection of the first selection operation in the screen displayed in a first display mode, performs the given processing based on detection of the second selection operation, and performs display control processing for displaying a screen in the first display mode after the given processing.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 12/558,684,filed Sep. 14, 2009, which is based upon and claims the benefit ofpriority of the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-237106, filedon Sep. 16, 2008, the entire contents of which are incorporated hereinby reference.

FIELD

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a technology to control adisplay mode of a screen displayed on a display of a terminal apparatus.

BACKGROUND

In a mobile terminal apparatus such as a mobile phone and PDA (PersonalDigital Assistants), the display is increasingly becoming smaller inrecent years due to miniaturization, leading to a limited display area.Also in a terminal apparatus other than a mobile terminal apparatus suchas a PC (Personal Computer), for displaying as much information aspossible by, for example, arranging a plurality of windows on thedisplay, each window may become smaller, leading to a limited displayarea for each window. When a screen is displayed in such a display area,display sizes of characters and images in the screen become smaller ifthe whole screen is made a display area so that the screen may be viewedmore easily. If the display size becomes smaller, it becomes moredifficult to select and operate a button, icon, hyper-link and the likearranged in the screen. Particularly when a touch panel is used as thedisplay and a user performs a selection operation on the touch panelusing a finger, it is difficult to finely specify the position.

Further, a mobile phone generally has a Web browser to view Web sitescreated for PCs mounted therein. In the Web browser, for example, ascreen of a Web site created by assuming a mouse operation on a PC isdisplayed in a display area of the mobile phone. Thus, when a screencreated with a layout by assuming a different display area is displayed,hyperlinks and the like in the screen are frequently positioned or havea display size inappropriate for selection operation.

In response to such a problem, an apparatus that enables the user tochange the display scaling factor of the screen so that the user mayperform a selection operation after the screen is displayed by beingscaled up is proposed (see, for example, Japanese Patent ApplicationLaid-Open No. 2001-242981). In a flat coordinate input apparatusaccording to Patent Document 1, a tap operation and input coordinatesthereof are detected through a flat coordinate input means. Then, thevicinity of the display position corresponding to the input coordinatesis displayed by being scaled up in response to an odd tap operation anddisplayed by being scaled down to return to the original display scalingfactor in response to an even tap operation.

However, the above apparatus is caused to change the display mode simplyby the display scaling factor being successively specified through a tapoperation. In contrast, for example, when a Web site is viewed via theWeb browser of a mobile phone, screen transitions frequently occurbecause the user follows hyperlinks and the like. If the display scalingfactor appropriate for selection operation and that appropriate forviewing are successively specified, there is a problem that operationsbecome complicated and user convenience is reduced. This problem mayalso arise in devices other than the mobile phone.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the embodiments discussed herein, a terminalapparatus includes a display, a display control unit configured toperform display control processing for displaying a screen on thedisplay in a given display mode, a first selection operation detectionunit configured to detect that a first selection operation concerningthe given display mode has been performed in a given area of the screen,and a second selection operation detection unit configured to detectthat a second selection operation concerning given processing has beenperformed in the given area of the screen. The display control unitperforms display control processing for displaying a screen by changingto a second display mode based on detection of the first selectionoperation in the screen displayed in a first display mode, performs thegiven processing based on detection of the second selection operation,and performs display control processing for displaying a screen in thefirst display mode after the given processing.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and arenot restrictive of the embodiments, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an external view illustrating a display of a mobile phoneaccording to a first embodiment of a disclosed terminal apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of themobile phone in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating display control processing in themobile phone in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a diagram exemplifying a display mode of a screen of themobile phone in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating display control processing of themobile phone according to a second embodiment of the disclosed terminalapparatus; and

FIG. 6 is a diagram exemplifying the display mode of the screen of themobile phone in FIG. 5.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS First Embodiment

The first embodiment of the disclosed terminal apparatus and displaycontrol method will be described with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4. Amobile phone 1, which is an embodiment of the disclosed terminalapparatus, has a phone function, a mail transmission/reception function,and a browser function that displays a site on the Internet in a screenby radio communication with an external center. The mobile phone 1 has,as a browser function, a Web browser that displays Web pages of Websites created for PCs other than sites created for mobile phones (seeFIG. 4 described below).

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the mobile phone 1 has a display 2, a keypad3, an antenna 4, an earpiece 5, and a mouthpiece 6 arranged therein; anda speaker 7 is arranged inside the earpiece 5, and a microphone 8 isarranged inside the mouthpiece 6. The keypad 3 has, for example, as aplurality of key switches for input, a menu key, scroll key, power key,start key, clear key, cursor key, character keys and the like arrangedtherein.

The display 2 has both a display function and an input function and, forexample, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) integrated touch panel may beused as the display 2. The display 2 is used to present information andto display a cursor for selection operation. The touch panel of thedisplay 2 is, for example, a pressure-sensitive or capacitance-typetouch panel and accepts touch input (such as a tap operation) by, forexample, a finger of the user. ON/OFF of touch input and the positionthereof are output as input information. In addition to input by afinger, touch input using an input means such as a stylus may also bepossible. However, it is inconvenient to carry an input means such as astylus together with a mobile terminal apparatus such as a mobile phoneand thus user convenience is enhanced by enabling touch input by afinger of the user.

When a Web browser is executed in the mobile phone 1, a Web page isdisplayed as a screen in the display 2 in the display scaling factor forviewing preset by the user. If a double tap operation is detected by thetouch panel, the display scaling factor is changed to the temporarydisplay scaling factor for selection operation and the screen of the Webpage is redisplayed. If a hyperlink is selected in the screen of thetouch panel, a Web page linked by the hyperlink is displayed in thescreen of the display 2 in the display scaling factor for viewing. Ahyperlink is location information (such as a URL) of another Web page orthe like embedded in a Web page and the hyperlink is selected by asingle tap operation being performed in an area where the hyperlink isset in the screen.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the mobile phone 1 has an electronic unitincluding memories (a nonvolatile memory 11, a work memory 12, and a ROM(Read Only Memory) 13) and a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and has acontroller 20 as functions thereof. The display 2 and the keypad 3 areconnected to the controller 20. Further, the controller 20 is connectedto the antenna 4, the speaker 7, and the microphone 8 via acommunication unit 21. The communication unit 21 has a radio unit fortransmitting and receiving a high-frequency signal and a signalprocessing unit for performing signal processing of sound and data totransmit and receive a signal to and from a center by radio.

Registered data such as phone numbers and mail addresses, data oftransmitted and received mail, and setting data used for variousfunctions of the mobile phone 1 are stored in the nonvolatile memory 11.As setting data, candidate values of setting data that may be used inthe mobile phone 1 specified as hardware and setting values (if notselected, default values) selected by the user from the candidate valuesof setting data are stored. Setting data includes display parameterswhen a Web page is displayed in the screen of the display 2. Displayparameters include a display scaling factor A, display referenceposition C, display area size, and character size.

Regarding the display scaling factor, for example, n (n=1, 2 . . . )display scaling factors A1 to An are stored as candidate values that maybe used in the mobile phone 1. Then, when a display scaling factorsetting function is selected from a menu screen of the mobile phone 1 bythe user, a display scaling factor setting screen is displayed in thedisplay 2 and the candidate values A1 to An of the display scalingfactor are selectably presented. The display scaling factor selectedfrom the candidate values A1 to An by the user is stored in thenonvolatile memory 11 as the set display scaling factor A.

Temporary data for performing processing by the controller 20 is storedin the work memory 12. When, for example, a Web browser is executed,page data of a Web page acquired via the Internet, input information ofthe touch panel, a screen to be displayed created by rendering a Webpage using the display parameters, or the display parameters currentlybeing used (such as a display scaling factor X and a display referenceposition Y) are temporarily stored. As described below, the displayscaling factor A stored in the nonvolatile memory 11 or a temporarydisplay scaling factor B specified by the user is set as the displayscaling factor X.

The controller 20 performs various kinds of processing such as callcontrol, mail transmission and reception control, and Web browserexecution and has a data control unit 25 and an input control unit 26 asfunctions thereof. The data control unit 25 performs write and readoperations of registered data, mail data, and setting data to and fromthe nonvolatile memory 11. When a key switch of the keypad 3 is operatedby being pressed, the input control unit 26 accepts the operation inputand performs processing accordingly.

Further, the controller 20 has a display control unit 27 that creates ascreen to be displayed in the display 2 and causes the display 2 todisplay the created screen. The display control unit 27 creates a screento be displayed in the display 2 by rendering data using displayparameters stored in the nonvolatile memory 11 or those specified by theuser. For example, when the Web browser is executed, the display controlunit creates a screen to be displayed by rendering page data of a Webpage acquired through communication using the display scaling factor X.

Further, the controller 20 has a function to detect the type of touchinput operation based on input information from the touch panel. Forexample, the controller 20 detects the type of operation (the single tapoperation, double tap operation, and otherwise) from the duration andcount of the ON state of a touch input. The controller 20 has a firstselection operation detection unit 28 that detects that a firstselection operation concerning the display mode has been performed in agiven area in the screen and a second selection operation detection unit29 that detects that a selection operation concerning given processinghas been performed in a given area in the screen. In the presentembodiment, the first selection operation detection unit 28 detectsthat, when the screen of a Web page is displayed in the display 2 by theWeb browser, a double tap operation is performed in an area excludinghyperlinks of the Web page on the touch panel of the display 2. Thesecond selection operation detection unit 29 detects that, when thescreen of a Web page is displayed in the display 2 by the Web browser, ahyperlink of the Web page is selected (a single tap operation isperformed in an area where a hyperlink is set) by a single tap operationon the touch panel of the display 2. The given processing corresponds toprocessing to acquire data of a Web page linked by a hyperlink throughcommunication and to display the Web page in the screen.

Then, the display control unit 27 causes the display 2 to redisplay thescreen by changing to a second display mode based on detection of afirst selection operation in the screen displayed in first display mode.The display control unit 27 performs the given processing based ondetection of a second selection operation and causes the display 2 todisplay the screen after the processing in the first display mode.

In the present embodiment, if a double tap operation is detected in thescreen during execution of the Web browser, the display control unit 27changes the display scaling factor of the screen. If a double tapoperation is detected in the screen of a Web page displayed in thedisplay scaling factor A preset by the user as the display scalingfactor for viewing and stored in the nonvolatile memory 11, the displaycontrol unit 27 causes the display 2 to redisplay by changing to thetemporary display scaling factor B for selection operation. In thepresent embodiment, m (m=1, 2 . . . ) temporary display scaling factorsB1 to Bm are provided as temporary display scaling factors B. Then, eachtime a double tap operation is detected, either the display scalingfactor A or one of the display scaling factors B1 to Bm is sequentiallyset as the display scaling factor X. If a hyperlink is selected by asingle tap operation in the screen of a Web page displayed in thedisplay scaling factor A or B during execution of the Web browser, thedisplay control unit 27 causes the display 2 to display the screen of aWeb page linked by a hyperlink in the display scaling factor A.

Functions of the controller 20 are realized by causing a CPU(corresponding to a computer used by a program having a discloseddisplay function) of the mobile phone 1 to execute programs stored inthe ROM 13. The programs include the program having the discloseddisplay function.

Next, an operation (display control processing) of the mobile phone 1 inthe present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchartin FIG. 3. It is assumed in the initial state that the mobile phone 1 isturned on, the Web browser is activated, and page data of a Web page isacquired through the Internet. Also, an example of the display mode ofthe screen illustrated in FIG. 4 will be referenced below whenappropriate. In the example in FIG. 4, 100[%] is set as the displayscaling factor A for viewing. Also, two stages of display scalingfactors B1 and B2 (B1=200[%], B2=400[%]) for selection operation are setas the temporary display scaling factor B for selection operation. Thedisplay scaling factor 400[%] corresponds to the upper limit of thedisplay scaling factor that may be displayed in the mobile phone 1.Broken line arrows in FIG. 4 indicate that a double tap operation isperformed while the screen of a Web page is displayed to sequentiallyswitch the display scaling factor X of the screen of the Web page(toggled from the starting point of the display scaling factor A forviewing preset by the user) (FIG. 4(a) to FIG. 4(c)). Solid line arrowsin FIG. 4 indicate that a hyperlink is selected by a single tapoperation while the screen of a Web page is displayed to display thescreen of a Web page linked by the hyperlink in the screen in thedisplay scaling factor A for viewing preset by the user (FIG. 4(d)).

FIG. 3 will be referenced. First at STEP 1, the controller 20 reads thepreset display scaling factor A from the nonvolatile memory 11 and setsthe display scaling factor A as the display scaling factor X.

Next, at STEP 2, the controller 20 displays the acquired Web page in thescreen of the display 2 in the scaling factor X (=A). The controller 20creates a screen to be displayed by rendering page data of a Web pageusing the display scaling factor X and other display parameters storedin the nonvolatile memory 11 and displays the created screen in thedisplay 2. Accordingly, if, for example, 100[%] is set as the displayscaling factor A, as illustrated in FIG. 4(a), the Web page is displayedin the LCD screen of the display 2 in the display scaling factor 100[%].

Next, at STEP 3, the controller 20 determines whether any touch inputhas been done on the touch panel of the display 2 based on inputinformation from the touch panel of the display 2. If the determinationresult at STEP 3 is NO, STEP 3 is repeated until the determinationresult at STEP 3 becomes YES, putting the touch panel into an input waitstate.

If the determination result at STEP 3 is YES, the controller 20 proceedsto STEP 4 to determine the type of operation of touch input based oninput information from the touch panel of the display 2. For example,the type of operation (whether a single tap operation, a double tapoperation, or otherwise) is determined from the time during which the ONstate continues and the number of times thereof. If, as a result ofdetermination at STEP 3, the type of operation is determined to beneither single tap nor double tap, the controller 20 returns to STEP 3to wait for input of the touch panel.

If, as a result of determination at STEP 4, the type of operation isdetermined to be a double tap operation, the controller 20 proceeds toSTEP 5 to determine whether the currently set display scaling factor Xis A≦X<200[%]. If the determination result at STEP 5 is YES, thecontroller 20 proceeds to STEP 6 to set the display scaling factor X to200[%] before returning to STEP 2. Accordingly, the Web page will bedisplayed by being scaled up in the display scaling factor of 200[%],making a selection operation easier.

If the determination result at STEP 5 is NO, the controller 20 proceedsto STEP 7 to determine whether the currently set display scaling factorX is 200[%]≦X<400[%]. If the determination result at STEP 7 is YES, thecontroller 20 proceeds to STEP 8 to set the display scaling factor X to400[%] before returning to STEP 2. Accordingly, the Web page will bedisplayed by being scaled up in the display scaling factor of 400[%],making a selection operation easier.

If the determination result at STEP 7 is NO, the controller 20 proceedsto STEP 9 to set A to the display scaling factor X before returning toSTEP 2.

With the processing at STEPS 5 to 9 described above, (1) if the displayscaling factor A is A<200[%],

the display scaling factor X is sequentially changed such that“A→200[%]→400[%]→A . . . ” each time a double tap operation isperformed. (2) If the display scaling factor A is 200[%]≦A<400[%],

the display scaling factor X is sequentially changed such that“A→400[%]→A . . . ” each time a double tap operation is performed. (3)If the display scaling factor A is 400[%],

even if a double tap operation is detected, the display scaling factorremains unchanged: “400[%]→400[%] . . . ”.

Accordingly, the display scaling factor X, which is equal to or largerthan the display scaling factor A set by the user, is set for scaled-updisplaying within a range specified as hardware.

Then, at STEP 2, the controller 20 redisplays the acquired Web page inthe display scaling factor X using the input position of the double tapoperation as a reference position. Accordingly, if, for example, adouble tap operation is performed in the screen displayed in the displayscaling factor of 100[%] exemplified in FIG. 4(a), the display scalingfactor X is set to 200[%] at STEP 6 and, as illustrated in FIG. 4(b),the Web page is redisplayed in the display scaling factor of 200[%].Accordingly, a hyperlink may be selected in the screen displayed bybeing scaled-up to 200[%], making a selection operation easier. If adouble tap operation is performed in the screen displayed in the displayscaling factor of 200[%] exemplified in FIG. 4(b), the display scalingfactor X is set to 400[%] at STEP 8 and, as illustrated in FIG. 4(c),the Web page is redisplayed in the display scaling factor of 400[%].Accordingly, a hyperlink may be selected in the screen displayed bybeing scaled-up further to 400[%], making a selection operation easier.If a double tap operation is performed in the screen displayed in thedisplay scaling factor of 400[%] exemplified in FIG. 4(c), the displayscaling factor X is set to 100[%] at STEP 9 and, as illustrated in FIG.4(a), the Web page is redisplayed in the display scaling factor of100[%]. Accordingly, if, for example, viewing of the displayed Web pagemay be continued by stopping a selection operation, the display scalingfactor X may be brought back to the display scaling factor A forviewing.

On the other hand, if, as a result of determination at STEP 4, the typeof operation is determined to be a single tap operation, the controller20 proceeds to STEP 10 to determine whether a hyperlink in the screen isselected by the single tap operation. That is, the controller 20determines whether the input position of the single tap operation isincluded in an area where the hyperlink is set in the screen. If thedetermination result at STEP 10 is NO, the controller 20 returns to STEP3 to wait for input of the touch panel.

If the determination result at STEP 10 is YES, the controller 20proceeds to STEP 11 to acquire page data of a Web page linked by thehyperlink. Next, the controller 20 sets the display scaling factor X toA before returning to STEP 2.

Then, at STEP 2, the controller 20 displays the Web page linked by thehyperlink in the display scaling factor A. Accordingly, when atransition to another Web page occurs by selecting a hyperlink, thescreen of the Web page after the transition is displayed in the displayscaling factor A preset for viewing by the user. Thus, the screen may beviewed swiftly to grasp the content thereof without performing any otheroperation. For example, in the example illustrated in FIGS. 4(a) to4(c), regardless of whether the display scaling factor X when ahyperlink is selected is 100[%], 200[%], or 400[%], the screen of theWeb page after the transition is displayed in the display scaling factor100[%] preset for viewing by the user.

The above is the display control processing performed by the mobilephone 1 in the present embodiment. STEPS 3 and 4 correspond toprocessing by the first selection operation detection unit 28, STEPS 3,4, and 10 correspond to processing by the second selection operationdetection unit 29, and STEPS 1, 2, 5 to 9, 11, and 12 correspond toprocessing by the display control unit 27.

According to the present embodiment, as described above, even if thedisplay area of the display 2 is small, a selection operation of ahyperlink or the like in the screen may be performed easily and also thescreen may be viewed swiftly.

While the temporary display scaling factor for selection operation isassumed to be two stages in the present embodiment, any number of stagesmay be set such as one stage or three or more stages.

While it is assumed in the present embodiment that the first selectionoperation is performed outside an area including a hyperlink, the firstselection operation may be performed, for example, in an area includinga hyperlink.

While it is assumed in the present embodiment that processing to cause atransition of the screen to a Web page linked to a hyperlink selected bythe second selection operation is performed as a given processing, thismay be applied when another processing is performed. For example, thegiven processing may be to display a detail screen of a menu selected bythe second selection operation in the menu screen of the mobile phone 1.

Second Embodiment

Next, the second embodiment of the disclosed terminal apparatus anddisplay control method will be described with reference to FIG. 5 andFIG. 6. The functional block diagram of a mobile phone in the presentembodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment illustrated inFIG. 2 and the present embodiment is different from the first embodimentin processing (instead of the display scaling factor, the displayposition is changed as the display mode) by the controller 20. In thedescription that follows, the same reference numerals are attached tothe same components as those in the first embodiment and a descriptionthereof is omitted. A mobile phone in the present embodiment has a mailcreation function and a function to select a pictogram from a pictogramlist screen and to insert the pictogram into a mail (see FIG. 6described below).

In the present embodiment, the first selection operation detection unit28 detects that a double tap operation is performed in an areasurrounding a pictogram on the touch panel of the display 2 when thepictogram list screen is displayed in the screen of the display 2 duringexecution of a pictogram input function for creating a mail. The secondselection operation detection unit 29 detects that a pictogram isselected by a single tap operation (a single tap operation is performedin an area in which one of pictograms is displayed) on the touch panelof the display 2. The given processing corresponds to processing toinput a selected pictogram into a mail being created.

Then, when a double tap operation is detected in the screen, the displaycontrol unit 27 adjusts the display position of the screen. The displaycontrol unit 27 sets a preset display reference position C stored in thenonvolatile memory 11 as a display reference position Y during executionof the pictogram input function for creating a mail. When a double tapoperation is detected in the pictogram list screen displayed using thedisplay reference position Y, the display control unit 27 sets, in thedisplay reference position Y, a display reference position D in whichthe position in the screen corresponding to the input position of thedouble tap operation is the center of the display area of the display 2,generates a screen to be displayed using the display reference positionY, and displays the screen in the display 2.

Next, an operation of a mobile phone in the present embodiment will bedescribed with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 5. It is assumed inthe initial state that the mobile phone is turned on and the pictograminput function is activated when a mail is created. Also, an example ofthe display mode of the screen illustrated in FIG. 6 will be referencedbelow when appropriate. In the example in FIG. 6, the display referenceposition C of the screen is set in such a way that the lower left cornerof the screen is at the lower left of the display area of the display 2.

FIG. 5 will be referenced. First at STEP 21, the controller 20 reads thepreset display reference position C from the nonvolatile memory 11 andsets the display reference position C as the display reference positionY.

Next, at STEP 22, the controller 20 displays the pictogram list screenin the LCD screen of the display 2 using the display reference positionY. Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 6(a), the pictogram list screenis displayed using the lower left position as the reference position. Atthis point, due to, for example, too large a display scaling factor Apreset by the user, the pictogram list screen may not stay in thedisplay area and some pictograms, for example, the one at the upperright, are displayed only partially in a boundary portion of the displayarea of the screen.

Next, at STEP 23, the controller 20 determines whether any touch inputhas been done on the touch panel of the display 2 based on inputinformation from the touch panel of the display 2. If the determinationresult at STEP 23 is NO, STEP 23 is repeated until the determinationresult at STEP 23 becomes YES, putting the touch panel into an inputwait state.

If the determination result at STEP 23 is YES, the controller 20proceeds to STEP 24 to determine the type of operation of touch input(whether a single tap operation, a double tap operation, or otherwise)based on input information from the touch panel of the display 2. If, asa result of determination at STEP 23, the type of operation isdetermined to be neither single tap nor double tap, the controller 20returns to STEP 23 to wait for input of the touch panel.

If, as a result of determination at STEP 24, the type of operation isdetermined to be a double operation, the controller 20 proceeds to STEP25 to set the display reference position D, in which the center of apictogram closest to the input position of the double tap operation isthe center of the display area of the display 2, as the displayreference position Y before returning to STEP 22.

Then, at STEP 22, the controller 20 redisplays the pictogram list screenusing the reference position Y. Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG.6(a), if a double tap operation is performed near a pictogram (forexample, a pictogram at the upper right) only partially displayed in theboundary portion of the display area to select the pictogram, asillustrated in FIG. 6(b), the pictogram is moved to the center of thedisplay area so that the entire pictogram is displayed.

Then, if the user performs a single tap operation and, as a result ofdetermination at STEP 24, the type of operation is determined to be asingle tap operation, the controller 20 proceeds to STEP 26 to determinewhether a pictogram in the screen is selected by the single tapoperation. In this case, the display reference position Y is adjusted atSTEP 25 by a double tap operation and, as illustrated in FIG. 6(b), aselection operation of the pictogram is made easier by a pictogram onlypartially displayed in the boundary portion of the display area beingdisplayed in the center of the display area. If the determination resultat STEP 26 is NO, the controller 20 returns to STEP 3 to wait for inputof the touch panel. If the determination result at STEP 26 is YES, thecontroller 20 proceeds to STEP 27 to perform processing to input theselected pictogram.

At STEP 28, the controller 20 sets the display reference position Y asthe preset display reference position C before returning to STEP 22.

Then, at STEP 22, the controller 20 displays the pictogram list screenusing the display reference position Y. Accordingly, the pictogram listscreen is displayed in the normal display reference position C and thus,the user is familiar with the display position and may swiftly view thepictogram list screen. When the user inputs one pictogram after another,the user may swiftly know the position of the next pictogram to beinput.

The above is the display control processing performed by a mobile phonein the present embodiment. STEPS 23 and 24 correspond to processing bythe first selection operation detection unit 28, STEPS 23 to 25correspond to processing by the second selection operation detectionunit 29, and STEPS 21, 22, 25 and 28 correspond to processing by thedisplay control unit 27.

According to the present embodiment, as described above, even if thedisplay area of the display 2 is small, a selection operation of apictogram or the like in the screen may be performed easily and also thescreen may be viewed swiftly.

While the display scaling factor is adjusted as the display mode in thefirst embodiment and the display position is adjusted as the displaymode in the second embodiment, for example, the display scaling factor,display position and other display parameters may be adjusted together.

The display 2 is a touch panel in the first and second embodiments, butinstead of assuming that the display 2 is a touch panel, the user mayperform the first and second selection operations by moving the cursordisplayed in the screen through key operations of the keypad.

A mobile phone is used as a terminal apparatus in the first and secondembodiments, but a mobile terminal apparatus such as PDA or further, aterminal apparatus such as a PC may also be used.

According to the above terminal apparatus, display control method andprogram having the display function, even if the display area is small,a selection operation of a hyperlink or the like in the screen may beperformed easily and also the screen may be viewed swiftly.

All examples and conditional language recited herein are intended forpedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the inventionand the concepts contributed by the inventor to furthering the art, andare to be construed as being without limitation to such specificallyrecited examples and conditions, nor does the organization of suchexamples in the specification relate to a illustrating of thesuperiority and inferiority of the invention. Although the embodimentsof the present inventions have been described in detail, it should beunderstood that the various changes, substitutions, and alterationscould be made hereto without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: a display; a displaycontrol unit configured to perform display control processing fordisplaying pages on the display; a first operation detection unitconfigured to detect that a first operation has been performed on afirst page displayed on the display among the pages; and a secondoperation detection unit configured to detect that a second operationhas been performed on the first page, wherein the display control unitperforms display control processing for displaying the first page with agiven scaling factor in a whole of a given area on the display, performsdisplay control processing for changing a scaling factor of the firstpage from the given scaling factor to a changed scaling factor in thewhole of the given area without changing a size of the given area basedon detection of the first operation, and performs display controlprocessing for displaying, after changing the scaling factor of thefirst page in the whole of the given area to the changed scaling factorin the whole of the given area, a second page among the pages with thegiven scaling factor in the whole of the given area based on detectionof the second operation, the second page being related to the firstpage.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display controlunit is capable of changing the scaling factor of the first page to anyone of a plurality of given scaling factors, and one of the plurality ofgiven scaling factors is successively selected by consecutivelyperforming the first operation.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the first operation includes a double tap operation performed inan area of the first page.
 4. The apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the display control unit performs the display control processingfor changing the scaling factor of the first page so as to zoom in onthe first page.
 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein thedisplay control unit performs the display control processing fordisplaying the second page at default size or in an overview.
 6. Adisplay control method for causing a display provided in an apparatus todisplay a plurality of pages, the display control method comprising:first displaying a first page among the plurality of pages, by changinga scaling factor of the first page from a given scaling factor to achanged scaling factor in a whole of a given area of the display withoutchanging a size of the given area after detecting that a first operationhas been performed in an area of the first page displayed on thedisplay; and second displaying, when detecting a second operation to thefirst page for displaying a second page relating to the first page amongthe plurality of pages instead of the first page, after a scaling factorof the first page has been changed from the given scaling factor to thechanged scaling factor in the whole of the given area in response to thefirst operation, the second page on the display so as to display thesecond page with the given scaling factor in the whole of the givenarea.
 7. The display control method according to claim 6, wherein atouch panel is provided in the display, and the first operation and thesecond operation are detected by using the touch panel.
 8. The displaycontrol method according to claim 6, wherein consecutively performingthe first operation is capable of changing the scaling factor of thefirst page to any one of a plurality of given scaling factors and one ofthe plurality of given scaling factors.
 9. The display control methodaccording to claim 6, wherein the first operation includes a double tapoperation performed in an area of the first page.
 10. The displaycontrol method according to claim 6, wherein the changing changes thescaling factor of the first page so as to zoom in on the first page. 11.The display control method according to claim 6, wherein the seconddisplaying displays the second page at default size or in an overview.12. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium that stores aprogram for causing a computer to perform a process for displaying aplurality of pages on a display, the process comprising: first detectingthat a first operation has been performed in an area of a first pagedisplayed on the display among the plurality of pages; changing ascaling factor of the first page from a given scaling factor to achanged scaling factor in a whole of a given area on the display withoutchanging a size of the given area based on the first detecting; seconddetecting that a second operation has been performed in an area of thefirst page after the changing; and displaying a second page relating tothe first page among the plurality of pages with the given scalingfactor in the whole of the given area based on the second detecting. 13.The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim12, wherein the first operation includes a double tap operationperformed in an area of the first page.
 14. The non-transitory computerreadable storage medium according to claim 12, wherein the changingchanges the scaling factor of the first page so as to zoom in on thefirst page.
 15. The non-transitory computer readable storage mediumaccording to claim 12, wherein the displaying displays the second pageat default size or in an overview.
 16. An apparatus comprising: amemory; and a processor configured to, by executing a program in thememory, display a first page with a given scaling factor in a whole of agiven area on a touch panel, the first page relating to a second page,and display, when detecting a second operation to the first page fordisplaying a second page relating to the first page instead of the firstpage, after a scaling factor of the first page has been changed from thegiven scaling factor to a changed scaling factor in the whole of thegiven area without changing a size of the given area in response to afirst operation for changing a scaling factor in the whole of the givenarea, the second page on the touch panel so as to display the secondpage with the given scaling factor in the whole of the given area. 17.The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the first operationincludes a double tap operation performed in an area of the first page.18. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the processor isconfigured to change the scaling factor of the first page so as to zoomin based on the first operation.
 19. The apparatus according to claim16, wherein the processor is configured to display the second page atdefault size or in an overview.
 20. The apparatus according to claim 16,further comprising the touch panel.